


but our love, goes without saying

by interstellarbeams



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Children of Characters, Concerned Boyfriend(s), Domestic Disputes, F/M, Future Fic, Light Angst, Living Together, Married Couple, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26286403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interstellarbeams/pseuds/interstellarbeams
Summary: Kie’s working her ass off for an environmental rally and JJ is concerned that she’s going to burn out if she doesn’t let herself rest.(Various dialogue prompts from Tumblr. I’ll post them all here.)
Relationships: JJ & Kiara (Outer Banks), JJ Maybank & Kiara Carerra, JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I got a bunch of anon asks for Jiara prompts so I’m going to compile them all here. 
> 
> Dialogue prompt was: 21. “This might sound selfish, but I don’t care about the world — I only care about you!”
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! 💕

It was dark in their bedroom when he heard the light tread of her footsteps on the hardwood floors. Kie typically took her shoes off next to the door and ever since he had moved in, JJ followed her lead, so the sound of her bare feet padding across the floor was as familiar to him as his own heartbeat.

JJ turned his head on the pillow, the cotton of  
the pillowcase soft against his arm as he leaned up onto his elbow.

“Hey.” He spoke, quietly, not wanting to startle her because she acted like she was trying not to disturb him. 

“Oh. Hey, babe. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and he leaned over for a quick kiss. Pulling back he reached over and clicked on the bedside lamp, the light illuminated their bedroom and she squinted against the brightness, dark circles adorning the skin under her eyes.

“No biggie. I’d rather wake up and see you now, than have you sneak out of the bed every morning while I’m still snoring.” 

“What? I don’t do that.” Kie shook her curls back over her shoulders and started to wind them into a bun on the back of her head. It’s a ritual that he had yet to get used to. He loved her hair and the sight made his fingers twitch to delve into their glossy depths, to twine the curls around his fingers as he drew her down to the bed, but it’s late and she needed to sleep. She hasn’t been getting enough rest lately. 

“You did that same exact thing this morning. The only reason I even knew you had come to bed last night was the sight of yesterday’s clothes in the hamper.” 

Kie ignored his comment as she stood and stripped off her shirt and slipped out of her shorts into a loose pair of pj pants which he was pretty sure were a worn pair of his joggers. 

JJ sighed. He knew by the stiff line of her shoulders and jerky movements that she wasn’t happy about his choice of conversation topic.

“Look, Kie, I’m just worried about you. You come home at the crack of dawn and sleep for two, maybe three hours and then you’re back up and out the door before you’ve even eaten anything.”

“I’m not that bad.” She argued, as she took off her earrings and started to dig in the dresser drawer for a t-shirt. 

“Right? So, tell me, what did you eat for lunch today? Did you even remember to drink water or should I take you up to the urgent care for a saline drip?”

“Oh my god.” Kie turned around, crossing her arms over her chest, one hand gripped around a gray t-shirt as she stared him down. 

She looked extremely hot, even though she was glaring at him, annoyance stark as the full light of day on her face, with her lace bra tempting him to take a longer look at her cleavage but he forced his attention back to where it needed to be.

Standing, he ruffled a hand through his hair. He hadn’t meant to have this conversation at three in the morning but here they were and he couldn’t make her see reason while he was laying in bed and she stood over him like some kind of avenging Valkyrie. 

“Kie, come on. This isn’t healthy.” JJ moved closer but she ducked around him and walked out the door into the open landscape living room slash kitchen.

“Kie!” He followed after her, a feeling not quite anger, probably frustration churning in his gut. 

Her back was to him now as she stood at the fridge, a glass held under the water dispenser in the door. She turned and took a sip, staring right at him while she finished the whole glass.

“Kie. Would you—“ JJ dropped his hands to rest on his hips as she set the glass down on the counter. 

“This is important work I’m doing, JJ. I’m not just running around, back and forth through the city for fun. I have to plan this rally. The people need to know what impact this new law is going to have on the environment. I can’t let just anyone lead it. It has to be me.”

“I know. And I get that, Kie. The environment is important to you. Of course it is.” JJ lifted his hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. He could feel the faint pain of a stress headache coming on and he didn’t want to think about how tense his girlfriend was right now, as she let the weight of the world and it’s survival rest on her shoulders like Atlas holding up the sky. 

“We only have one earth, JJ. I have to do this.” Her jaw was set stubbornly, her shoulders squared despite the exhaustion that had to be pulling at her.

“This might sound selfish, but I don’t care about the world — I only care about you!” JJ didn’t mean to raise his voice, but she could be so aggravating sometimes, especially when it came to her activism. “Look, I’m sorry, okay. But the world could go to hell for all I care, because if you drop from exhaustion, my entire focus is going to be on you, not the fucking earth and you’re certainly not going to help it when you’re in the hospital after experiencing a mental breakdown.”

Kie’s eyebrows furrowed at his adamant words, her brown eyes gleaming in the light shining above the kitchen sink. She dropped her arms from where they had been crossed and fiddled with the glass in front of her. 

“Kie. I’m worried about you. I— I love you, okay? Trust me, I know how important this is to you. I wouldn’t love you if you weren’t half as passionate and caring as you are about… everything! Please can we just— forget about this stupid fight and go to bed?”

“You’re the one who insisted on bringing this up.” She mumbled as she rounded the kitchen table and moved to wrap her arms around him.

JJ let out a sigh of relief as he enveloped her in a hug. She tucked her head under his chin and he bent to kiss the top of her head, inhaling her heady scent of amber and shea butter. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around so much lately.” She admitted, lifting her chin so she could look into his eyes. 

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s kind of been a little boring around here with only Netflix and the succulents to keep me company.”

“Aww, couldn’t find anything to watch, babe?”

“Nah. I’d much rather Netflix and chill with you than watch some random, overly glamorous teenagers get it on, on screen.”

“That’s nice.” Kie huffed out a laugh, but then bent to press a kiss to the middle of his chest.

“Come on. I’m tired. Tomorrow we’ll Netflix and chill all you want, just— promise me that you won’t let me forget to call headquarters and tell them I’m taking a few days off, okay?”

“Oh. I will definitely remind you. In fact, I might even dial the number for you.”

“That will be a huge help.” Kie’s sarcastically commented as she wrapped her arm  
around his waist and they walked towards the bedroom door.

“You know me, Kie. Always willing to help.”


	2. no fear or fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JJ’s father is sick. Kie can’t understand why he cares so damn much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s prompt 2. 
> 
> 126\. “Just stay. We can figure everything else out later. Right now, just stay.” 
> 
> Zanna means ‘lily’ if anyone is curious. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! 💕

When JJ’s phone rang, the loudness of the kitchen with pots and pans banging around and the bluetooth speaker blaring some rad seventies tune, sent him out onto the porch. Kie didn’t think anything of it as she set about continuing dinner — pouring pasta into the pot of boiling water and stirring the simmering sauce on the stove as she nodded her head to the tune. 

The front porch door squeaked and Kie made a mental note to add “WD-40 the screen door” to her honey do list when it banged closed loudly. She jerked her head up, the loud sound startling her and she quickly shot a glance towards the kitchen table where the high chair sat, but Zanna’s attention was focused on the pile of cereal in the middle of the tray and not on the sight of her daddy pacing around the living room.

Kie quickly switched off the stovetop. Moving the sauce to the back burner of the stove, she wiped her hands on a towel before walking into the living room.

“JJ? Who was it? What happened?” 

JJ barely looked up. Shoving his hands through his hair, his gaze was steadily focused on the rug as he walked back and forth across the space  
between the couch and the coffee table. 

She stepped to the side of the couch, resting her hand along the back as she watched him. _Something must have happened for him to act like this_ , she thought, but she didn’t want to disturb him. He would open up to her when he was ready. She had learned that after so many years of friendship and four years of marriage. Trouble was, she had a hard time being patient. 

JJ continued to pace and Kie turned her head to make sure the toddler was still content munching on her cereal. Zanna’s large brown eyes were fastened on them but she didn’t look upset, merely curious.

“JJ, who was it?” She finally asked when it looked like he wouldn’t speak.

“Hmm?” He hummed, but he didn’t look at her, turning once more to pace the other direction.

Kie reached a hand out and grabbed him by the arm to stop him. “What’s the matter?”

JJ finally noticed her, his eyes lifting from the carpet to her face. He wasn’t crying or anything but he looked almost lost, his face revealing conflicting emotions of fear and anger.

Kie lifted a hand to his cheek, thumb stroking along his cheekbone. “Babe? What’s wrong?”

“It’s my dad. The correctional facility called… he’s contracted pneumonia somehow. He’s really sick and they wanted to let me know.”

Kie’s first thought was to scoff and say “good, the bastard deserves it” but she knew that despite all the abuse and emotional trauma his father had put him through, JJ still cared about him. She needed to show concern too, even if she didn’t feel it. Her true concern was on how this was going to affect her husband.

“Oh. That’s not good. I’m sorry to hear that.” Kie smoothed her hands across his shoulders then down his arms to grasp his hands. 

JJ’s fingers flexed under hers and she could feel the tension that ran through his body before he was pulling away and walking towards the door.

“Where are you going?” She asked, as she watched him walk to the key rack beside the door and snatch his truck keys off the hook.

“I’ve gotta go down there, Kie. I can’t just sit here.”

“Why are you so ready to rush off? I mean…” Kie shifted her gaze to the couch, unable to look at JJ. She already knew what he was going to say.

“Why? For the same reason you would be worried if Mike was in the hospital. He’s my dad, Kie.”

“You think I don’t know that, JJ? Of course, I do. I just don’t see why you need to go, _right now_. He’s in the facility hospital. He’s being taken care of.

JJ’s jaw worked and Kie knew that she had hit a sore spot. She always determined to herself that she wouldn’t bring it up but every time something happened with his dad, the words sprung from  
her lips like an Olympian off a diving board. She couldn’t stop them no matter how hard she tried. 

The baby babbled in the background, the innocent sound a sharp contrast to the strained tension between them, but Kie couldn’t draw the words back, even if she tried. 

“So, because he’s my dad, he’s not important? Good to know.” JJ’s jaw worked and Kie felt tears filling her own eyes.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

“Then what do you mean…? I _just_ — I don’t understand why I shouldn’t go.”

She kept silent, thoughts whirling like a maelstrom as she tried to come up with a way to explain. 

They stood across from each other but Kiara felt like the gulf widening between them was so much larger than the few feet of floor between where she stood and JJ’s stance by the door.

“I know that he’s your father and that you don’t want him to be alone. And I don’t want him to suffer any more than you do. I just don’t understand why you care so much. He treated you like shit for so many years, JJ. He never cared whether his fists bruised your body from head to toe or that his addiction to cocaine left you with very little food to eat as a growing boy. He rarely showed you love or affection but you’re ready to run at the first sign that he’s in trouble. I just don’t understand.” Kie’s lip trembled but the fierceness or her emotions burned like a fire in her chest.

JJ’s hand shook as he pushed his bangs back from his forehead and she hated to see it, knowing that she was partly to blame. Knowing that this argument was causing him as much, if not more pain, than the conflicting feelings his dad’s illness had awoken in him. She needed to pull him back to her, she had to try.

“Just stay. We can figure everything else out later. Right now, just _stay_.”

He dropped the keys to the small table by the door and she felt relief flood her chest but the slow tread of his boots as he moved to sit down wasn’t as steady as it had been when he came home less than an hour ago.

He dropped onto the ottoman, shoulders slumping and Kie immediately went to him. Her hands hovered over his head for a moment before she ran her palms across his hair, thumbs brushing against his neck as she cupped his face in her hands.

“I’m sorry. I know. It’s hard. That I’m making it harder. I— I didn’t mean to.” Kie’s voice caught and she knew that JJ would think it was his fault, the burdens he bore so much heavier than he deserved. _Why couldn’t she relieve them instead of adding to them?_

“He’s my dad, Kie.” His voice softened as he ducked his head and leaned his forehead against her stomach.

“I know. I know.” Kie ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, hoping the soothing movement would bring him comfort.

His shoulders shook under her hands and her heart broke into a million little pieces.

“Shh. It’s okay. We’ll go tomorrow, okay? I can get my mom to watch Zanna and we’ll go together, alright?” 

They stayed in that same position for a few minutes until Zanna’s insistent screams drew their attention.

“I think your daughter is ready for her dinner.”

“Yeah, it sounds like it.” He sniffed, but the lost look that had been present in his eyes was gone as he looked up at her.

“I love you, ya know? I just—” Kie couldn’t finish the sentence, emotions clogging in her throat, stopping her voice.

“I love you too.” 

She bent to kiss him, his hands warm against her skin where her shirt had ridden up. Their kisses were apologetic and soft, and she found her lips tilting into a smile as their daughter continued to demand attention. 

“I’ll put the sauce in the microwave.”

“Sounds good.”

She moved to walk away, but JJ’s hand  
slipped around her wrist drawing her to a stop.

“Thank you, Kie. I know you’re just trying to protect me. Like always.”

“And I always will.” She smiled softly at him.

“Now, go get our daughter before she tries to bring down the house around our ears.”

“Yes ma’am.” JJ’s voice brightened as he scooped their daughter up, her excited laughter bringing a smile to his lips. 

Kie knew that her concern for him would always be top in her mind. She just wished there was a way that she could ease the tension that mentions of his father always brought into their relationship. She tried to not let them affect her, for she had such strong feelings about the man. But for JJ’s sake, she was willing to try harder. She had to.


End file.
